Who Are You?
by Whammy
Summary: AU. Season 4. Faith wakes up from her coma with amnesia. Faith/Buffy.
1. Chapter 1

Who Are You?

AU. Season 4. Faith wakes up from her coma with amnesia.

"Do I have to go? Do you want to go for me? I think you should. It'd be good for her to see you." I know I sounded whiny, but I really didn't see how me going to the hospital was going to end well. Faith had just spent the last eight months in a coma and knowing her, she was probably plotting her revenge on me every minute of it. I guess I _kinda_ deserved it.

"I would, but the hospital asked for you. And she's, you know, evil," Willow gave me a sympathetic look, but I knew she wasn't going to budge on this one.

"It just doesn't make sense! Why did they call me?"

"I don't know, but you better get down there."

"Fine. Wish me luck. Or give it to me! There has to be some sort of spell for that, right?"

"You'll be fine. Go."

When I got to the hospital, I nearly walked into a nurse. _This should not be messing with me so much! I face scary things everyday! Faith is just a girl. A crazy girl who tried to kill me, but just a girl. She is nothing to be afraid of._

"I'm so sorry. Oh, um, maybe you could help me? Someone called me, I'm Buffy Summers, and they said my, uh, friend, Faith woke up from her coma?" The words came out of my mouth quickly and unsure. _Why does Faith make me so… jittery? Crazy? _

"Oh, the girl who was in a coma for eight months. Right. She's in room, um, 325. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right."

"Thanks."

I found my way to the elevator and was thankful when no one else got in with me. I pressed the button for the third floor and anxiously waited.

"Everything is going to be fine. They wouldn't have called you to see a homicidal maniac. Besides, she just came out of a coma. Even if she wants to, she won't be strong enough to kick my ass. Right?"

Before I could convince myself to feel better, the door had opened and a doctor was staring at me like I needed to be admitted to the psych ward. I quickly smiled and made my way towards Faith's room. I saw the numbers and walked in before I could talk myself out of it. When I saw her lying there, I instantly felt bad. After all, she was there because of me. She lost eight months of her life; eight months she can never get back. The dark circles under her eyes made her look weak. She opened her mouth to say something, but I interjected before she could.

"Faith? Faith, I know you probably don't want to see me of all people right now, but for some reason I got called down here. If you want me to leave, I will. I don't want to start anything with you, at least not here." As I spoke, I saw a confused expression beginning to form on Faith's face. I thought I was being perfectly clear, but maybe the coma thing had messed with her more than I thought.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Faith, it's me, Buffy. How can you not remember?"

Thankfully, a nurse came into the room before I made things into a mess.

"You must be Buffy."  
"Yeah? What's going on?"

"Your friend Faith here has amnesia."

_Amnesia? Faith has amnesia? No way. This has got to be some sort of evil plot. Get my guard down. I don't think so._ "So can she remember anything?"

"Oh yes, she's actually quite lucky. She can remember everything up to the year before she went into the coma." I turned to Faith, looking for some kind of answer, but she just shrugged her shoulders and nodded in agreement.

"Then why me? Why did you call me? If what you say is true," I said, pausing and giving Faith a glare, "then, she doesn't remember me."

"You were her 'In Case of Emergency' contact. When she woke up, we asked her about her family and she said she had none. So, we looked at her old records-she had been here before- and there you were. Is there a problem?"

_Faith picked me before? I guess she didn't really know anyone else. But still. Faith's the kind of girl who would leave that blank. Isn't she? _"No, no of course not. It was just a little, um, surprising. So, what am I here to do?"

"Well, Faith is ready to be discharged. She doesn't remember of course, but she's been here for quite some time."

"Wait, I'm supposed to take her home with me?"

I turned to face Faith and she looked like she was thinking of something to say. "I know that I don't remember you, but if I put you as my emergency contact, I must have trusted you. I have a problem with that, so I think we may have been close."

_Who are you? And why do I feel so obligated to take you in?_

"Yeah Faith, we were. I guess if you're okay with it, you can come home with me."

_How is this going to work? I live in a dorm! Giles can figure it out. I can only take care of one thing at a time. _

"Five by five."

"Same old Faith," I said smiling.

By the time we got to Giles's, it was clear that Faith was not faking her amnesia. Not only did she not remember me or Sunnydale, she also had no idea that she was a slayer. I figured now was not the best of times to tell her that the world was full of vampires and demons and that is was her job to kill them. Well, our job.

"Okay, Faith let me go in there really quick and let them know what's going on. Wait out here."

"Okay Buffy."

I start to walk in before I remember something. "You always call me B."

"B? B. That sounds like something I would say. I like it. I'll be waitin' out here for ya B."

I shook my head and walked in, closing the door behind me. Giles was there, along with Xander, and Willow.

"How'd it go with Faith, Buff?" Willow asked.

" Well, she's alive, so I'm guessing she kicked her ass!" Xander replied.

"No, no. Listen, Faith is right outside. She has amnesia."

"Amnesia? Really, that's quite, well convenient."

"That's what I thought at first. But I don't think she's lying. She doesn't remember being the slayer."

"There's a spell that will give her her memory back," Willow offered.

"Yeah, we could give her memory back and then send her off to jail," Xander replied.

"No, I think that it's better this way. It's beneficial to have her around and not evilish."

The gang looked a little surprised, but agreed that we could at least give this Faith a chance. After re-introducing her to everyone, I had to go to class. I knew that she didn't remember me, but she had been around me more than the rest of the gang for the day and I felt like I was abandoning her with strangers. It's not like I could take her to class with me though. Besides, she had just gotten out of a coma. She needed to go see things and do all the things she hadn't been able to for the last eight months. As I was heading out the door, Faith grabbed for my hand.

"Thank you B. Really."

"Of course Faith. You're my friend."

"Come back soon," she said with a smile.

_Who are you?_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Obviously because this is an alternative universe, things are going to be slightly different. Mainly, no Buffy and Riley. I haven't decided about the Initiative yet. If you'd like, leave a comment with your thoughts on the matter. Happy reading!

After class, I headed back to the dorm. Willow was there looking at her laptop with a concentrated look. I didn't want to interrupt her, so I tried to sneak in as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, I walked into my desk and knocked two textbooks and a bunch of pens onto the floor.

"Hey Buffy."

"Sorry, you looked all focused and I didn't want to distract you. Obviously, that didn't go as planned," I said, beginning to pick my mess up off the floor.

"It's alright," she said getting up to help me. "I was just looking up amnesia stuff online. After hanging out with Faith, I think you're right. She can't be faking it."

"That's good? Right?" I asked. Willow nodded. "How was that? I mean hanging out with her. I know you guys were kinda wary about the whole thing."

"It was actually fine. I was surprised. I mean, it was kinda awkward because she didn't remember who we were, but we just had to start all over with her. She's already back to her old habits. She's calling me Red and making funny of Xander and Giles. Well, me too, but I'm letting it slide because of the whole amnesia thing."

We picked up the last of the pens and sat down on my bed. "She's still Faith," I said with a smile. I immediately realized it and changed the topic before Willow could notice. "So, um, did you find out any amnesia stuff?" _God, that was lame. Why am I acting like this? It's just Faith. Nothing has changed. Well, except that she's not evil anymore. And that she has amnesia. But, other than that, same Faith. So why do I feel different? _Before I could make any sense of it, Willow started talking about amnesia. Well, she started talking and I caught the end of it.

"So, things might trigger Faith's memory. And that would make her, well, remember stuff."

"What?"

"I don't know what. It could be anything. A familiar place, person, voice. It depends on the person."

"That's not exactly good news. I mean, we don't need something to trigger Faith's memory of the mayor. Or hating us. More specifically, me."

"Well like I said, we can't really know for sure what will do it. Or if anything will do it. She might just not ever remember."

I couldn't decide how I felt about this. It could be good or bad. It would be good if she never remembered and we could all just move on. But, if something triggered her memory, she could turn on us all over again.

"Well, let's just hope she doesn't remember. What'd you guys end up doing?"

"We went downtown and walked around. Giles doesn't think it's time to tell her she's a slayer yet. When I left, Xander was going shopping with her."

"What? Why?"

"He's a little frustrated that she does remember, er, sleeping with him. It was really funny. When he told her, she looked him up and down and said 'No way in hell dude.' He's convinced that if he just tells her it happened enough times, she'll magically remember."

"Ugh, can we take that out of our memories?" I asked, making Willow laugh. "I am glad he's taking her shopping though. I didn't really want to be the one having to go buy leather pants and tank tops with her."

"Don't forget the jackets."

"Right. Anyway, did Giles say where she was going to stay? I don't think we can really let her stay with us."

"He offered up his couch and she took it."

"That's a big change after her big lofty thing. Or not. I forgot she doesn't remember."

"Yeah, so things should be okay. Besides, we're out of school soon and she can go live with you and your mom for the summer."

"Sounds like a plan. Should we head over to Giles' before they get back? We should probably discuss the whole how we're going to tell Faith she's a slayer thing. Or do we tell her that vampires and demons are real first?"

"I'd go with the slayer part first. But, we can ask Giles when we get there."

_I really hope this won't freak Faith out. It shouldn't. I mean, she was okay with it before. Hell, she was more okay with it than I was. She'll be excited and soon we'll be patrolling together again. Just me and Faith. What?! What is going on? This is just Faith. Nothing has changed Buffy. The only reason you can't stop thinking about her is because she's suddenly back in your life. That's it._

When Willow and I got to Giles', Faith and Xander were already back. I could hear Xander before we even walked in.

"How can you not remember?! I've been bugging you about it for hours!"

"I have amnesia! I don't remember things! Shut up already!"

Faith stormed outside and knocked me over. _Well she has her slayer strength_. She fell on top of me and cursed. "I'm so sorry B. I was just- does he ever shut up?" she asked. She got up and offered her hand to me.

_Did I just feel butterflies?! No. No. This is not happening. Faith is my friend. That's it. No butterflies. _

"No he doesn't. Sorry. And don't worry about it."

_What the hell is going on?_

We walked in and sat down on the couch. Before I began the slayer talk, I decided to give Xander a hard time.

"Xander, why won't you leave Faith alone? She obviously doesn't remember. Besides, it's better this way. I'm sure Anya would kill you if you were hanging around a girl you've slept with before. And who actually remembers."

"Uh, um, yeah, okay, sure. I have to go," Xander said, bolting out the door.

"Well I'd say your problem is solved at least temporarily."

"Thanks," she said grinning. _Faith doesn't grin. Who are you?_

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it's time to tell Faith what she does," Giles said.

"What I do? That sounds bad."

Willow got a look on her face like she was going to say something snarky, but I spoke before she got the chance. "It's not bad, I do it too."

"We're not strippers or anything, right? Cause I know I've been low on cash before, but I never thought it'd gotten that bad."

"God, no," Giles said.

Faith shrugged her shoulders and I started explaining. "You see, you and me were chosen. Well, I was chosen and then I died for a little before coming back to life, which called Kendra and then she died and you were called."

"Called for what? And you died?!" Faith looked concerned.

"Only for a little bit. No worries, I'm fine now. Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but you and I are slayers."

"Slayers," she repeated.

"Yes, and it's up to you two to fight evil. Mainly vampires, but there are plenty of demons as well," Giles said.

"Don't forget the end of the world. We've stopped that a few times too," Willow added.

"You're a slayer too?" Faith asked.

"Oh, no. I'm a witch."

"And you are?" she asked Giles.

"I'm the watcher. Well, I was. You see, Buffy left the Council. She's independent now."

"I know this is weird, but we used to work together. All you really need to know is that you have more developed reflexes and strength and you use those to help me fight all this bad stuff."

"Okay. Okay, I think. How do we kill these things?"

"Well, vampires are easy; wooden stake through the heart. With demons, it depends on the type."

"Okay," Faith said, taking a deep breath.

"I think it would be a good idea for you to go patrolling with Buffy tonight Faith. If you're up to it that is."

For a long time it was quiet. I knew how hard it was to hear all of these things and that it sounded absolutely crazy. I just hoped that Faith wouldn't see this as something not to trust me over. I didn't want to go down that path again. She sat there staring forward. I turned to Willow, but she didn't know what to do. Giles knew better than to interrupt. _Please be okay with this. Don't freak out and leave on me. _

"Okay," she finally said. She turned to me. "I trust you Buffy. I obviously trusted you then. And you're not coming off as crazy, so I believe you. When are we doing this patrol thing?"

I grin began creeping onto my face and I couldn't stop myself. I lurched forward and hugged Faith. _Have I hugged you before? I have no idea. _"Tonight," I said, realizing I hadn't let go. But then again, neither had she. _Who are you?_


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was just beginning to set when Giles decided it was time for us to get ready for patrol. I didn't know why he wanted to take so much time to do this; it's not like _I _had amnesia. I'm sure I would have been able Faith and whatever vamps showed up just fine. But, Giles insisted, so I agreed. I didn't need to do anything special though, so while Giles was briefing Faith on how to handle the things we would encounter, I sat on the couch pretending to read a magazine. While my eyes glazed over at the pages in front of me, I tried to sort out the things I had been feeling. _Okay, something is obviously going on. And I can't ignore it anymore. Something between Faith and I has changed. Even before she turned bad, she wasn't ever this nice to me. So it's not just me. There's something different in her too. Or maybe it's just something I never saw before. I don't know. But I do know that she is giving me tingles with her touch. God, when she fell on top of me today… I have to do something about this. Maybe tonight if there isn't too much work to do. Yeah. Hopefully before the slaying though because Faith was right. Slaying does make you hungry and horny. And I don't want to do anything I'll regret. _

"B? B? Hello? Buffy you there?" Faith said, waving her hand in front of my face; snapping me into reality.

"Sorry. Ready to go?"

"Let's go kick some vampire ass," she said grinning.

I grabbed my jacket and we left Giles'. As I lead Faith to the cemetery, she asked me questions.

"So we used to do this a lot? Patrol?"

"Yeah, it's a lot easier with two people. You're really good at it. You'll see."

"If you say so. How do we tell where they are?"

"We have a sort of slayer sense. You can just _feel_ it. That's sounds lame," I said. I felt my cheeks burn with blush and hoped she couldn't see that in the dark.

"It's not lame. It's actually kinda cool. So, our slayer sense goes tingly and we turn around and stake them in the heart?"

"Sometimes. It's usually not that easy; they tend to fight back for some reason. We don't always need to use it though. A lot of the time, they just come to you, expecting you to be weak."

"B, I don't want to sound stupid, but what happens once we kill them?"

"That's not stupid Faith. They turn into a pile of dust once the stake goes through their heart."

Faith nodded and we reached the cemetery. It was dark, but that didn't matter; I could probably make my way around there blindfolded. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but we walked around anyway. I could tell that Faith was a little off her game; she was sticking very close to my side. Not that I minded or anything. _Focus Buffy. _There was a slight wind and it rustled the leaves on the cemetery floor. Faith must have been more jittery than I thought because she jumped and grabbed my arm.

"Sorry," she said quickly.

"It's okay," I said. I put her hand in mine to reassure her and continued walking. Every time I felt her jump, I squeezed her hand. It seemed to calm her down. When I decided there was no immediate danger, I sat down. Since I was still holding Faith's hand, I ended up pulling her down with me. She complied and surprised me by not letting go.

"We can stay a little longer, but I don't think we're going to see anything tonight. Sorry to disappoint."

"I don't think you're going to disappoint me anytime soon B. I'm actually kind of relieved. Anyway, I kind of like this. It's-"

But Faith didn't get to finish her sentence. Instead, she stood up and pulled the stake out of her jacket. I turned around and saw the vamp; a newborn. He should've been an easy kill, but I didn't want Faith to have to fight him alone. I started to get up, but Faith motioned for me to stay where I was. I pulled out my own stake, just in case, but decided to let her go for it. She started off well; she got in a few shots and blocked most of his. But then the vamp got in a hit that was hard enough to knock Faith down. She couldn't get up before he hit her again. _Wait Buffy. Let her try._ Faith got up and got in a few more good shots before he knocked her down once more. It didn't take as much out of her this time, but as she began to get up, the vamp kicked her in the stomach and forced her back down. _Nope, time to go help._ I got up and ran over to them; staking him right as he was about to lean into her neck. He disintegrated before us and Faith looked at me with big eyes. For a while, we just sat there looking at each other. _What was I thinking? Letting her fight on her own like that. She has amnesia; she doesn't remember how to do this. What if she had, and I had never? No. It didn't happen. And I'm never going to let it happen. Ever. _I looked at Faith lying there, trying to figure out what she was thinking. There was a stray hair lying in the middle of her face and before I could stop myself, I brushed it away. She gave me a small smile and broke the silence.

"You saved me."

"Of course I did. I wasn't going to let you die Faith," I said. And before I could stop myself, I confessed a little more. "I will never let anything happen to you."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

_Oh no, did I just blow it? _But before I could worry myself anymore, I felt Faith intertwine our fingers. I smiled at her and tried to think of the right thing to say.

"B, this might sound crazy, but did we used to? Or did I used to want to? Cause it seems like maybe we might have a past of some sort. One that goes beyond this whole slayer thing."

Somehow I knew what she was saying despite the lack of words. "No, Faith. And I don't know if you did. I do know that I didn't." As I said this, I saw the hurt in Faith's eyes. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to now."

That was all it took. The Faith I remembered came back with a rough first kiss. Not that I wasn't rough back; I just needed to feel her mouth on mine. I could taste the sweat on her lips, the only remainder of the fight that had happened minutes ago. I slowed down the kiss and put my hands on her face. As she sucked my bottom lip, her hands found their place on my waist. I pulled away before things got too far and nestled my head on top of her chest. I traced circles on her stomach while she played with my hair. When the sun started to rise hours later, it felt like only minutes has passed.

"I think we need to head back," I said, turning to face her.

"The only way I'm going back is if I can sleep in bed with you all morning."

I looked at my watch, "Well, it's five o'clock and I have class at nine."  
"That is so early!"  
"Well you don't have to go to class."

"True. Okay, let's go."

I got up and offered her my hand. She took it and I led her back to my room. Willow wasn't there, so I didn't have to worry about her awkwardly waking up to Faith and I. I took off my jacket and pants and got into bed. Faith followed suit and curled up behind me. I reached behind me and took her arm. I couldn't let myself wonder why Faith was being so compliant to my needs. I fell asleep soon; I was more comfortable than I had been in a long time. _Why haven't I seen this side of you before? Who are you?_

My peaceful sleep was interrupted by my alarm. _No, not yet. _"Five more minutes," I said, hitting the snooze button. Unfortunately, I had already woken Faith.

"You gotta get up and get to class," she said, huskily.

"But I'd rather stay here with you."

"I know, but I should go too. I'm sure Giles is wondering where I've been and how last night went."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"That we ran into a vamp and I almost killed him, but you had to step in. And then that I was so exhausted afterward that you took me back to your dorm. Willow wasn't there, so I slept in her bed."

"Well I guess that's mostly true," I said smiling. "He's going to make you train today so you don't get hurt again."

"Is he not relying on you to save me?"

Faith leaned in and kissed me and then pushed me out of bed. She sat up and smacked me in the ass before I could get away.

"Faith!" I tried to look mad, but inside I just loved the fact that she was touching me. Besides, this was a part of Faith I could definitely recognize.

I didn't have time to take a shower, so I did my best to make myself look presentable while Faith sat in my bed watching me. I threw my hair up into a ponytail and fixed the smudgy make-up around my eyes. I smiled at myself, satisfied in the mirror.

"Um, B? I think you forgot something," Faith said, trying not to laugh. I looked down and realized I wasn't wearing any pants. I felt my cheeks flush and quickly found a pair of pants. As I was putting them on, Faith managed to drag herself out of bed. She found her pants, put them back on and looked better than me.

"No fair," I said.

"It's not my fault that I wake up looking like this," she teased. "Now, off to class."

I put my arms around her neck and kissed her. "Fine. Can you get back to Giles'?"

"I think I'll manage."

She kissed me one more time and left. I grabbed my books and bag and headed off to class where I knew I would get nothing accomplished except daydreaming about Faith.


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't bother trying to concentrate in class; I knew it would be a pointless attempt. Instead, I let my mind wander. _I can't believe this is really happening. Faith just spent the night in my bed. And all we did was sleep; it was so- wait. Why didn't Faith try to do anything else? What is going on with her? Just because she has amnesia doesn't mean that her entire personality is changed. She should have been all over me; I should have been fighting her off. God, is it me? _I felt my face scrunch up angrily. _No, it can't be. But that's so un-Faith. So what is it that's making her act differently?_

"Ms Summers?" A voice snapped me back into reality.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, if you have more important things to do than pay attention in my class, you can leave."

I surprised everyone when I got up and left, even myself. But, I needed to talk to Faith and that was more important than any history I could have learned. As I made my way off campus, I thought of the different ways I could bring this up with Faith. I must have looked like a crazy person walking down the street, making gestures with my arms and shaking my head. _Faith, can I ask you something? No. Faith, we need to talk. No, that sounds bad. Faith, why didn't you try to screw my brains out last night?_ The last one made me laugh. _Okay, seriously now. Faith, did I do something wrong? Are you sure you don't remember everything? Hmm. Faith, is there a reason you're being different? Besides the amnesia? _I approached Giles' and hoped she was there alone. _God, what am I going to say?_ I knocked on the door and was happy to see Faith on the other side of it. She smiled and quickly kissed me.

"Alone?" I asked.

"Giles went to some magic shop, I don't know. He said he'll be back later and to not touch anything. Like I'm going to break anything, damn."

"He's just being safe. It's nothing personal."

"Uh-huh. Hey, aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I left early. I want- I need to talk to you Faith."

"B, you're acting weird, you okay?"

"No. I just- did I do something wrong?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's just, the Faith I remember… She, she wouldn't have just _slept_ there."

I felt sick after saying it, but Faith laughed. The tense expression she had on her face was replaced with one of relief. "Are you serious? This is what you need to talk to me about? The fact that I _didn't_ sleep with you?"

"You didn't even try! Why not?"

Faith grabbed my shoulders with my arms and looked directly into my eyes. "B, I was doing what I thought you wanted me to do."

"Aw, really? I felt so stupid. She was doing something nice for me and I couldn't even see it. "I'm so sorry."

"I guess I'll forgive you this one time. But no more being nice, since it obviously doesn't pay off for either of us."

"How so?"

"Because I didn't get any sex and you thought it was because I didn't want you!" I smiled. She bent down and huskily whispered into my ear, "Don't worry, there was nothing more I wanted to do last night. I definitely have not forgotten how to get someone to scream my name between the sheets."

I bit my lip, which caused our teeth to scrape together when she kissed me with a smile. _I can't believe I overreacted like that. _I pulled away long before I wanted to because I heard Giles' footsteps approaching. We pulled away from each other at the very last second; a definite advantage of the slayer sense.

"I didn't expect to see you here Buffy. Shouldn't you be in class?" Giles pried.

"I, we, uh, well, you see-" I started.

"Teach got sick and let the class out early," Faith cut in.

"I see. Well, I was planning on starting Faith's training if you'd like to join us."

Faith gave me a pleading look. I didn't want to have to say no but I had to. "I'm sorry, I promised Willow that we'd have lunch and study for this test we have. But put me down for next time; I haven't had a good workout in forever," I said, giving an apologetic look to Faith. In turn, I got a "you're going to pay" look, which made me smile. "I'd better get going. Get her ready to go patrolling tonight Giles."

"I'll try."

"I'll walk you out B," Faith said. She put her hand on the small of my back and pushed me outside. She shut the door behind her.

"What are you doing, he's so going to find out!" I hissed.

"Oh, who cares B? Don't worry; he's not paying attention at all," she said, gesturing to the window. Sure enough, Giles was engrossed in a book.

"Okay. But I really do need to go."

Faith took my hand and pulled me in for a quick kiss. I pulled away and walked away; breaking our hands.

"Come back soon," she said, and walked back inside.

I made my way back to the campus and searched for Willow. I had to talk to someone about me and Faith. The problem was, I didn't know if I was ready to tell. I liked having her all to myself. _How can I tell Willow without telling Willow? There has to be a way. Maybe I'll just be really vague. No, that'll never work with her; she's too smart. _She wasn't in our room, so I headed towards the dining hall. She was there, her nose already in a book. I walked her way to let her know I was there.

"Hey, sorry I'm late."

"No problem. You ready to hit the books?"

"Not really. Not a big fan of the books really. That's more your thing."

"We're not really going to study, are we?"

"Unless you really need to, probably not. There's something I want to talk to you about that's much more important."

"It's okay, I should really know better by now," she teased. "So, what's up?"

_Here goes nothing. _"Well, I'm seeing someone new."

"Is it that guy who's been making googley eyes at you from across the hall?" she excitedly asked.

"Tyler's been making googley eyes at me?" I asked before refocusing. "No, not him. I can't tell you who it is." Willow started to ask why, but I stopped her. "Please don't ask why. Just trust me. When the time is right, I'll tell you."

"Buffy if you can't tell me who it is, why are you telling me at all?"

"Because Will, I have to tell someone. Someone has to know that my heart's been beating so fast I think it might explode, that my stomach is full of butterflies whenever I see- this person. I haven't felt like this in so long."

"That's great, it really is."

"It's so beyond that. And I really want to tell you; I do. I just need a little more time. You will be the first to know, I promise."

"I better be! Otherwise, there's a serious problem with the whole us being best friends thing."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. What's up with you?"

"Not too much. I've been trying lots of new spells with Tara. It's really cool having someone to do that with."

"Before you know it, you're going to be the most powerful witch in the world and you can just get rid of all the vampires for me."

"I don't know about that one."

"You'll see."

"Uh-huh," she said, looking at her watch. "Hey, I have to go. I told Tara I'd meet her in a couple of minutes. I'll see you later though?"

"Of course! I'm patrolling with Faith tonight, so I won't be in till late." _Now might be a good time to make up some sort of lie as to why she would be In my bed. _"She's not quite up to her full slayer strength, so if she's too wiped, she might crash with me. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, totally. I don't even know if I'll be in tonight."

"Cool. See ya."

We both got up and gave each other a quick hug goodbye before heading our separate ways. I headed over to Giles' to check up on Faith's training. _Am I bad if I want Faith to stay weak so I can save her again? Yes. Very. I would endanger her life to make me look good. I am a terrible terrible girlfriend. I am her girlfriend right? Yes, I have to be. No more overreacting to stupid things. _I knocked on Giles' door, but no one answered. I turned it to see that it was unlocked. All of the furniture was pushed out of the living room and a makeshift gym had taken its place. _Well, I did do a lot of training in a library. _I watched Faith working up a sweat. _So hot. _Considering that she had almost been killed last night, she was doing really well. Too well.

"Hey," I said, announcing myself.

"Oh Buffy, you'll never guess what happened," Giles said. He looked exhausted.

"I remembered something!" Faith interjected.

_Shit_. "Really?"

"Yeah, it was really cool. We started kicking those pads and all of a sudden everything was five by five. Or at least fighting-wise. I think I could kick your ass actually," she said, kicking the pad Giles was holding so hard that he fell down. "Whoops, sorry," she said, helping him up.

"Is that all you remembered?" I said, trying not to sound obvious.

"Yep. This feels awesome. You have to know what I'm talking about. I've got all this energy surging through me. I want to go beat the shit out of some vampires."

"Well, we still have a couple of hours before the sun sets."

"I think you should take a break Faith. I know you're full of energy now, but I no longer am. So, why don't you too go do something that doesn't involve you being here."

Giles had just created an amazing opportunity for me and he didn't even realize it. _I'll have to thank him for that later. And without details._ "Okay. Do you want us to drop by before we go on patrol?" I asked, hoping he would say no.

"I don't see any need," he replied.

With that, we left. As soon as we were out of Giles' sight, I jumped onto Faith and kissed her. Now that she had her slayer strength back, I felt no need to hold back. I could feel it in her too. She pushed me hard against a wall and kissed me back. Her mouth was warm and being this close to her was causing my body to pulse with desire. "We need a bed. Or a floor," she mumbled into my mouth.

"We need a room with a door," I said between kisses.

"We could ask Giles," she teased.

I pulled away and hit her shoulder. "That's gross," I said, climbing off of her.

"Oh, c'mon B!"

"Sorry baby," I said quickly kissing her. I took her hand and led her away.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. I don't really care."

"Did I get a crazy for a girlfriend?" Faith teased.

I stopped walking and turned to face her. "Is that what I am?" I asked seriously.

"I thought so."

"Good," I said, and started walking again. We walked all over town and just talked. Faith was still a badass and had the stories to prove it, but there was another side of her that I got to see as well. The side that kept trying to make me laugh; the side that was trying to let me in even though it scared her. I liked knowing that I was the person she wanted to try for. I could feel such an intense connection Faith this time and couldn't figure out what had changed. _Maybe nothing changed. Maybe you just never realized it before Buffy. I think it's possible. The bond we have by both being slayers bonds us so much already; it's not hard to make the leap that we have turned into something else. _I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that it took Faith to point out that the sun had set and it was time to go patrolling. I had already subconsciously been walking to the cemetery, so we quickly arrived. It was different this time; Faith was boldly leading me around.

"Do you feel that?" she asked. I did, there was definitely something around us.

She cautiously walked forward and confirmed that we were right. She held up three fingers in the air. "Let's do this," she said.

As much as I just wanted to watch her, I had to pay attention; this time more for my own life. Faith quickly staked the first vamp; it only took one hard punch for her to get him. I got the next one, but only because he attacked me. I kicked him in the head, which caused him to fall down. I held him down with my foot and easily staked him. The third tried to get away, but Faith was way too full of energy to let that happen. She threw a stake squarely into the back of his heart and he disappeared.

"That was too easy! We need something else!"

Unfortunately for Faith, those were the only vampires we ran into that night. She pouted when the sun came up and there had been no more action.

"No fair! I was in the mood for a real fight."

"Still, didn't you feel that rush when you got the two? Even if it was easy?"

"Totally. That's why I wanted to get some more!"

"Faith, does slaying still make you hungry and horny?"

"That's what that is! Yes! Can we please go back to your dorm now?" she pleaded.

"Of course. I told Willow that if you were too tired, you'd crash with me, so we are good with the alibi."

"Then let's go! Now!"

Fortunately, when we got to my room, Willow was not there. The second the door was shut, Faith picked me up and started kissing me. I wrapped my legs around her and started to take off her shirt. She had a lacey black bra on. "Lace? Really? I thought you were all leather all the time," I said, breaking away.

"Shut up," she said, and threw me onto my bed. I took off my own shirt and she pushed me flat on top of the bed. She crawled on top of me and slowly unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I kicked them off and pulled her face back into mine. Her hard kisses tasted better than chocolate.

"I've never done this before," I whispered.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten everything."

She slowed down her kisses, reassuring me. Her touch made me dig my nails into her back and later scream her name. _Holy shit. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit._ She had a very satisfied look on her face when we finally went to sleep. _Who are you and what have I been doing without you all this time?_


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few months, Faith and I developed a routine of sorts. Every night we'd go patrolling together, have crazy sex, then sleep until forced awakening and carry on with the rest of the day waiting to go back on patrol. Since school had ended, I had moved back home and that made things much easier for Faith and I. For starters, there was a lot more room, so we had more options than just my bed. There were floors and couches, kitchen tables and counters, a staircase and bathrooms. Being caught wasn't as much of a threat either. My mom had a new boyfriend, so she wasn't home much. If I wasn't so caught up in Faith, that fact might have freaked me out a lot more. But, my thoughts were completely controlled by Faith. I couldn't believe I never saw in her what was there all along. I don't know how I missed how fiercely protective she is of what she cares about or how funny she is. I especially don't know how I didn't see was that she just needed someone to believe in her and for that she would forever be loyal to that person. I guess I had seen the latter before, in the mayor, but I like to think that I bring it out in her more than anyone else ever could. I had never felt so strongly towards another person; I literally felt drawn to her and had to keep myself from constantly touching her. She was worse than me; she was constantly pulling me away from the gang or accidentally brushing against me.

I woke up to Faith kissing my neck one morning. I turned to her, pulling her face up to mine and softly kissed her good morning. I nuzzled my head into her chest and she readjusted her arm around me. She was beautiful no matter what time of day; no matter how much blood she had caked on her face or body. All she was wearing was a set of black lace bra and panties, so I could see her golden stomach, toned and tight. The night before, she had been cut with by a demon right beneath her belly button. I lightly traced my fingers over the wound.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, does it hurt?"

"I think a kiss might make it better."

I placed soft kisses all around the cut until Faith pulled me up to her lips.

"You're better than any doctor," she mumbled into my mouth. She pulled away and gently placed me on top of her; avoiding her wound. I placed a kiss on her collar bone to tell her I wasn't done, but she stopped me.

"I just want to lay here for a while."

"Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm just a little sore, that's all. And don't start that shit again; everything is fine. It's more than fine. Don't worry."

"Sorry, I don't mean to. It's just- I love you and don't want to mess things up."

_Did I just say the "L" word? Oh God, oh no, this is not good. Faith is totally going to freak out. Shit. Why don't I think before I say things? _

But, Faith surprised me. "I love you too."

I turned to face her and must have shown my shock more than I would have liked on my face.

"Don't look so shocked B. Just because I've never said it before doesn't mean I'm incapable of saying it now. I do love you. "

I felt like a child. "Really? You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it."

I could feel a huge grin spreading across my face. Before Faith could tease me for it, I decided to get her. "How on earth did I get the biggest badass in all of Sunnydale to fall in love with me?"

"Oh shut up."

"Sorry, it's just funny that you're kind of a softy inside that badass exterior."

"Don't push it B."

I kissed her before I got myself in serious trouble. She bit my lip so hard that it bled and then sucked it dry. I knew she was trying to show me how bad she was and the pain felt better than I expect it to, so I didn't complain. Her tongue pushed against my teeth; opening my mouth wider. She pushed herself against me so hard that her teeth hit mine. I tried to slow her down by pulling back a little, but she wanted to prove that she was still bad. So instead, she roughly pushed me down into the bed and held my wrists down so I couldn't move. She pulled away momentarily to smirk at me.

"Still think I'm a softy?"

Before I could answer, she thrust herself back down on me. Something felt different. This wasn't like anything we had ever done before; I mean, we've been rough, but this was just different. I tried to push her off of me, but she kept me pinned down. I thrashed a little before I broke free.

"What the fuck Faith?"

She sat back and looked a little dazed.

"Hello, are you there?" I said, waving my hand in front of her.

"God, I'm sorry. I just remembered something. I remembered having all this sex with all these strangers. I was always in control and no one ever thought I was soft. And I don't know why, but the Faith in the memories, she just took over. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I told her. I didn't know what else to say.

"No, it isn't. I could have hurt you. I don't want to be the girl I just remembered."

And as if to prove a point, Faith kissed me gently. She put her hands in my hair before letting them travel down with her soft kisses. She treated me as if I were glass; I barely felt her lips brush my skin. I was disappointed when she started traveling up my body once more and brought her lips back to mine, but I knew it was because she was trying to show me she cared about me.

"I'm sorry. I love you," she told me between kisses.

"I know. It's okay, I promise."

She didn't believe me, so for a week, she was more tender and attentive in bed. She was over-protective of me when we were patrolling as well. I loved the idea of what she was doing, but I wanted to fight for myself. _Just stay positive. She remembered something but didn't let it change her. She loves me enough to want to be the person she thinks I want her to be. _I smiled, knowing she loved me. I couldn't let her fight by herself anymore though. So, I joined her and together we killed a gang of six vampires. Since I hadn't been slaying all week, I felt a little hornier than usual. This caused me to be more forward with Faith.

"So, now that I've proved to you that I'm not a little breakable girl, can we please go have sex? Like against a wall or on the kitchen counter? I want you now."

She didn't say anything, just took my hand and led me home. When we reached me house, she pinned me up against the door by putting one of her legs in between mine. She pushed her face so hard into mine that our teeth scraped. It felt good to have her want me so much; to know she wasn't restraining herself. I pulled away to open the door. I jumped on her, crossing my legs around her back. She grabbed my ass and led me up the stairs. Faith pulled away and put one of her hand to my lips telling me to be quiet. She opened the door to my mother's room to discover it was empty. To show her relief, she moaned loudly when she kissed me. She carried me into my room and pushed my hard against my bookshelf. It rattled, but nothing fell, so I didn't care.

"What the fuck?" said a familiar voice.

Faith pulled away and even though it was dark, I could still make out the confused look on her face. She set me down and I turned on the light. Willow was lying on my bed.

"Shit," Faith muttered.

"Um, Willow, what are you doing here?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.

"I had a fight with Tara and wanted to talk to you about it. I knew you were out patrolling, so I thought I'd take a nap," Willow explained. Then she shook her head, "Back to the original question though. What the fuck is going on? Since when are you two together?"

I could see Faith uncomfortably squirming and decided to just own up to what was going on. "Faith and I have been, erm- together, pretty much since she got out of her coma."

"And we're not just goofing off, I swear. I love her," Faith said.

For a while, Willow was quiet. Faith had moved close enough to me to grab my hand. I squeezed her hand and waited for Willow to say something. She looked very concentrated and I could tell she was trying to think of the right thing to say.

"I-, you-, how-, why-?" she started. "I guess I should have known."  
"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"You guys have a really intense connection because of the slayer bond. I should have known that it would turn into something different. And it's not like I didn't see it before the coma. I just thought that Buffy wouldn't do anything about it," she explained. "Not because of the you being a girl thing, but because of the Angel thing," she quickly added.

"Angel?" Faith said.

"My ex," I answered, too quickly. I shot Willow a look to tell her not to say anything else and she understood it.

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it, he's long gone. I only want you," I told Faith.

"I know B. I'm not worried at all," she said, giving me a quick kiss.

"Well I guess I should leave you two alone," Willow said awkwardly.

"No, don't go. You wanted to talk."

"It's okay, it can wait till morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll talk tomorrow. I'm really tired, can I crash on your couch."

"Totally."

Willow left the room and I turned to Faith. "I guess no sex tonight," she said.

"No, not tonight. Sorry baby."

"It's okay, I understand."

I got into bed and she curled up behind me. I felt her hot breath against my neck and fell asleep with a smile on my face.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up in the middle of the night cold and without Faith. I immediately panicked and threw the sheets off of me. _Where are you, baby?_

"B, are you okay?" she asked, making me jump. I felt stupid when I saw her sitting on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I just didn't know where you were," I told her. I got up and walked over to Faith. She made room for me next to her and put her arms around me when I sat down. _What is going on? _"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I couldn't sleep."

She didn't have to say anything; I knew why. She was scared about having to tell everyone. And she'd never admit it out loud, so I just sat there trying to comfort her. That itself was another problem, but I tried. I could see where she was coming from, but I wasn't there at all. I was excited for everyone to know. I wanted them to see that Faith was amazing and capable of love. I wanted them to know why I'd been happier recently. I didn't want to hide our relationship. I knew Faith liked keeping me to herself though.

"Nothing between us is going to change."

She gave me a faint smile and kissed the top of my head. "I know. I'm really not worried about that," she said. I looked at her in disbelief. _If it's not that, then what is it? It has to be that. She just doesn't want to talk about it. Right? _"I promise. I'm going to miss having you all to myself, but that's not- It's not that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Faith, something is wrong. Talk to me. Please."

She said nothing. Instead, she grabbed my face and pulled it towards hers. She confused me. The way she was kissing me, it was like she was never going to do it again. Her lips were lingering on mine, hungering for more, but not even trying to do anything else. She wasn't acting like herself at all. I grew more confused with every passing second. I couldn't decide whether to kiss her back or pull away. I didn't want to pull away, but I had to. _What is up with her? This can't be freaking her out this much. But what else could it be? _

"Faith? Please, just tell me what's wrong."

"I remembered."

_Shit. God, why didn't I just tell her? Now she's going to leave me. She's going to leave me because I didn't tell her and she's never going to talk to me again and I'm just going to be alone, alone, always alone. Damn it! I don't want to lose Faith. I can't lose Faith. I need her. God, she's going to remember that I tried to kill her and that she hated me. Why did I let this happen? She was bound to remember eventually. This was doomed from the beginning. What was that thing in _Romeo and Juliet_? Star-crossed lovers. Yeah, that's us. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _Before I could help it, the tears started rolling down my face. She gently brushed them away with her thumb.

"I can't believe you-" _Fuck_.

"I'm sorry Faith. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. I thought that if you couldn't remember, I could forget," I interjected.

"I just can't believe I hurt you like that."

_What? _"Faith, what exactly are you remembering?"

"I remember betraying you. I remember trying to hurt you. Why did you come back for me?"

I felt a sigh surge through me with relief. She didn't remember that I hurt her. _Should I tell you? If you aren't going to remember, do you really need to know that I tried to hurt you too? But if I don't tell you and you do remember, then are you going to be mad at me for not telling you? Shit. If I tell her, are we even? Fuck. Fuck. _

"B?" Faith asked, snapping me back into focus.

"Oh, sorry. I came back for you at the hospital because- I don't know. I just did. It was the right thing," I said, taking a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you though."

"God, did I do something else?"

"No, it was something I did. I feel awful for doing it and I'd take it back if I could. When you didn't remember, I was so happy that we could move passed it. But now- I just- I don't want you to remember and think I was hiding this from you. I really do love you. Just keep that in mind."

"B, you're freaking me out. What are you talking about?"

"I- I tried to kill you."

I felt like throwing up after I said it. I sat there, waiting for her to leave. Instead, she kept opening and closing her mouth. She dazed off a little and I sat there waiting. I could tell she was remembering and not just that; she was remembering everything. When I saw frustration, I knew she was hurting me. Sadness meant I was hurting her. Happiness was rare, but it was when we were happy together. Through her small facial expressions, I relived our entire relationship; even the parts I wish I could erase. I wanted to shake her out of it and tell her I loved her. That I didn't care what happened in the past because of what we had now. I knew I couldn't though; I had to let her finish. The only good sign I could think of was that she was still holding me. All this time she had never let go. I nuzzled my head into her neck as she vacantly stared off in front of us. When she was done, she kissed the top of my head.

"That was really fucked up. This is really fucked up," she said, gesturing between us.

"I know. Amnesia free?"

"Completely five by five."

"So-" I started, but didn't know how to finish.

"We've done a lot of crazy shit. But I remembered something you probably didn't know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I wanted to jump your bones the minute I saw you. "

"Really?" I said, smirking. I had to be serious though. "Faith of everything you remembered, that's what you want to talk about?"

"No. I don't really want to talk about any of it."

"Seriously?"

"Why would I want to talk about something that we both wish never happened? B, I love you. I don't want this fucked up past to ruin that."

I faintly smiled. I loved that she was okay with it, but didn't want it to cause problems in the future. "Faith, are you sure? I mean, we've done some pretty terrible things to each other."

"More me than you B. And I know that."  
"So what are we going to do?"

"Same thing we've been doing since I woke up. You were strong enough to let it go for me and know that I too, I'm going to do that for you."

I turned to her and smiled. I kissed her to show her my approval of her plan and she kissed me back softly. She gently picked me up and carried me back into bed. When she set me down, I immediately pulled her back towards me with the hem of her tank top. She laced our fingers together and pushed herself down onto me. I wrapped my leg around her back and pushed her into me. I just wanted to feel her everywhere. Knowing that we were okay despite everything in our past was a huge relief. Faith must have realized that Willow was still downstairs because she didn't do anything but kiss me. For once, when we fell asleep, I was the one holding her.

A few hours later, we got up and ready to go give the news to the gang. Willow had made us breakfast as a peace offering for freaking out earlier.

"Hey Red? I mean Willow. I uh- I just wanted to apologize for everything I did in the past," Faith sad, shocking me. I could feel my jaw drop and saw Willow's do the same. "Don't look so shocked you two."

"I-um, don't worry about it Faith. Thank you. Really. I'm guessing your amnesia is gone?" The two of us nodded. "Good to hear?"

"It's okay Willow. I did some pretty fucked up stuff and I get it if you don't want to be around me."

"Oh no, I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine."

"Five by five."

We finished eating breakfast and headed over to Giles' together. I was a little nervous about how Giles would take it, but I wasn't going to let anything keep me from being happy with Faith. Giles, Xander, Anya, and Tara were all there when I opened the door. All of a sudden I felt a pit in the bottom of my stomach. _It's going to be okay Buffy. In a few minutes, everyone will be happy for you. You'll never have to hide being with Faith again. _

"So Buffy, what's the big news?" Xander asked.

Faith was standing behind me and she took a small step forward and put her hand on the small of my back to comfort me. I smiled at her touch and gained the courage I needed to spit it out.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you guys that Faith and I are together. And I don't want you guys to freak out; she has her memory back and we're okay."

"So you remember now?" Xander asked, hinting at their night together.

"Shut up," Faith immediately responded. She found her place next to me and reached for my hand. "I know I've done some bad things in the past and I don't expect you guys to forgive me for that. Just don't ruin this for Buffy. I love her."

"Well I wasn't here for all of that, but I'm happy for you," Tara said.

"Yeah me too," Anya piped in.

"If you're happy, I'm happy," Xander said.

I smiled hearing from all my friends. The worrisome thing was the Giles had still not said anything. Faith must have sensed my fear because she squeezed my hand and gave me a sympathetic look. I gave her a faint smile, but needed Giles to say something before I could stop worrying.

"Giles?" His name was barely audible when it passed through my lips, but I knew he heard me.

"Yes? Oh, sorry. It's just a bit of a shock, that's all. You're big enough to take care of yourself though, and if you're happy than I can be happy for you," he said. He smiled at me and I knew that we were okay.

After a few minutes, everyone found reasons to leave, but that was okay because I just wanted to be with Faith. We walked home holding hands. I loved not having to hide our relationship anymore. I opened the door to my house and hoped it was empty.

"Hello? Mom, I'm home!" I called out.

There was no answer and I huge grin spread across my face. Faith chased me up the stairs and into my room. I grabbed her belt buckle to pull her closer to me. Once she was close enough, I pulled off her belt and unbuttoned her pants. She quickly took off my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss. Her lips were so sweet that I stopped undressing her for a second so I could fully appreciate them.

"I love you," she mumbled into my mouth.

"I love you too," I said, falling onto my bed.

I knew that at times it would be hard, but we would always have each other.

-------------------------------

A/N: Sorry that this took so long and if it feels a little rushed. I'm working on wrapping things up better for future stories. :)


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